Portrait of Ruhollah Khomeini
From history

Ruhollah Khomeini

Supreme Leader of Iran, 1979 to 1989

Led the 1979 revolution that toppled the Shah and founded an Islamic republic ruled by clerics.

Ruhollah Khomeini sits in the left-authoritarian part of the Caucus economy and liberty compass: slightly state-led and strongly authoritarian. The clearest positions are strongly authoritarian on liberty and authority, strongly traditional on culture and strongly nationalist on nation.

Read more about Ruhollah Khomeini on Wikipedia →

Where Ruhollah Khomeini sits on eight dimensions

Each scale runs from one pole to the other, and the dot shows the overall tendency of this leader's record and public life. These are simplified estimates and open to debate.

💰EconomySlightly state-led
State-ledFree market
⚖️Liberty and authorityStrongly authoritarian
LibertarianAuthoritarian
🎭CultureStrongly traditional
ProgressiveTraditional
🌍NationStrongly nationalist
GlobalistNationalist
🌱EnvironmentSlightly growth-first
Growth-firstNature-first
🤖TechnologySlightly tech-cautious
Tech-cautiousTech-optimist
🕊️War and peaceStrongly strength-first
Peace-firstStrength-first
🏛️InstitutionsLeaning anti-establishment
Anti-establishmentInstitutional

Leaders most like Ruhollah Khomeini

Alexander Lukashenko President of Belarus, 1994 to present80%Adolf Hitler Chancellor and Führer of Germany, 1933 to 194577%Recep Tayyip Erdoğan President of Turkey, 2014 to present (Prime Minister 2003 to 2014)76%Vladimir Putin President of Russia, 2000 to present (with a term as prime minister)76%Ibrahim Traoré Head of state of Burkina Faso, 2022 to present76%Karol Nawrocki President of Poland, 2025 to present76%

Leaders furthest from Ruhollah Khomeini

Olof Palme Prime Minister of Sweden, 1969 to 1976 and 1982 to 19866%José Mujica President of Uruguay, 2010 to 20158%Willy Brandt Chancellor of West Germany, 1969 to 19748%

Political views closest to Ruhollah Khomeini

IslamismA broad family of movements that seek to organize politics and law around Islam, from…85%FalangismA Spanish fascist-inspired movement stressing nation, Catholicism and corporatist unity.84%National conservatismPrioritizes national sovereignty, cultural identity, tradition and firm borders.78%

Percentages show how close two profiles are across all eight dimensions. Including a person here is for historical study and comparison, not approval. Portrait: Ali Kaveh [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ], Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; see all photo credits.